Amazing what you can find on the internet.
Rabbit is the name of the first generation, four cylinder hatchback Golf in the United States. The Golf was so named "Rabbit" by VW of America to prevent people from assuming that the name "Golf" pertained to the sport of golf (the name is actually German for Gulf and is supposed to be short for "Gulf Wind"). These first generation Golfs were produced from 1974 to '82 in Germany and 1978 to '84 in Westmoreland, PA. The "Rabbit" (now called "Citi Golf") and it's pickup truck cousin, the "Caddy" are still manufactured and sold in South Africa today! Although not the first car of it's size, the introduction of the Golf created a new class of car, the "Compact" and the introduction of the GTi in 1976 started the "Hot Hatch" craze that is still popular today!
